Glimpses of Home
by LN8866
Summary: A picture of Michael and Fi's future.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer...I don't own ANYTHING of Burn Notice. Not a single bit...nope...nothing at all!

AN~Its a one shot for now, but should I continue & see where this goes? I was thinking of a bunch of one shots, but not sure what kinds of non-spy situations to address...

Michael & Fiona sat on their living room couch, enjoying a few brief moments of quiet. Their quietness was disturbed by their 16 year old daughter, Madeline, screaming at their 18 year old daughter Claire.

"How could you do this to me? You know I was going to wear these pants to Wesley's party tonight! I bought these pants specifically for the party!" Madeline screamed. She looked like her father. Dark hair and muscular, but her facial features were similar to her mother's.

Claire, who was tall and very thin but had chisled features like her father, yelled back at her sister "You can hardly see marker on the leg! Wear a long shirt and no one can see the mark!"

Michael looked at Fiona. "I broke up the last fight. You go referee." They had decided a long time ago that instead of one of them always breaking fights up, they would share the load.

Fiona put down her book, sighed, and stood up. "Wish me luck." She began to walk up the stairs but she stopped and turned around. "Actually wish THEM luck if I'm going up there."

The yelling continued even when Fiona opened the door. "What is going on in here? Your father and I can hear you yelling from downstairs!"

Madeline grabbed her white pants to show her mother. "Mom, Claire came into my room, took my new pants and got marker on them! They are ruined! I can't wear them to the Christie's. She's such a little snake!"

"I am not a snake! I took her pants and accidentely got marker on them but I washed them right away. I told Madeline she could cover it with a long shirt. She's ruined plenty of things she took without asking so why the big deal over the one thing I borrowed?" Claire threw her hands up in the air. "You know where she was going to wear the pants? She was going to tell you she was going to Christie's house for the night, but she was really going to a party at Wes' house."

Fiona turned her head in Madeline's direction. "A secret party? Really? Did you not think we would find out?" she asked.

Madeline then uttered something that made Fiona furious. "I hate you Claire. I wish you were dead." As soon as Madeline said that the room got very quiet. The only sound that could be heard in the house was Michael creeping up the stairs.

"What did you say?" Fiona asked Madeline.

"Nothing mom. I said nothing. Everything is fine." Madeline said quickly. She knew she said the two sentences that were not tolerated in her parent's house. She tried to smooth it over but it was too late.

Fiona pointed at the bed. Her tone was harsh and louder than usual. "Sit down, both of you. In all my years of being your mother have I been so disappointed in you two as I am now. Yes, you both borrow things from the other or take them without asking. Stuff gets broken and ruined, but that's life. You make amends and you move on." Fiona's tone softened. She made her thumb and pointer finger into the shape of a gun. She pointed it at Madeline's head first and then at Claire's, then back to Madeline's. She spoke slowly as she moved the imaginary gun from girl to girl. "You never know when something will happen and your sister will be taken from you without warning. No chances to say 'I am sorry' or 'I will buy you a new one'. Instead you are left alone with regret, sorrow and the fact you can never ever take back what you said." Fiona was about to pull the imaginary trigger on Madeline when Michael interrupted.

"Fi that's enough. They got the point. I'll take over." Michael was leaning in the doorway.

Fiona looked at the girls who were silent. Tears filled her eyes. "I thought we raised you better than to be so mean to one another. You two are all you have in this world." She ran out of the room.

Michael walked in and said in a hushed tone. "Good job on making your mother cry. You know that your mother fought with Aunt Claire before she died. You know what, steer clear of one another for the rest of the day. Neither of you leave the house until I tell you. I don't want to hear another fight this entire weekend. Understood?"

Both girls said "Yes sir" in a meek tone. Once Michael was gone, Claire said "Sorry I ruined your pants and blabbed about the party."

Madeline took Claire's hand and said "I know. I'm sorry I said such terrible things. How about when the parental unground us, we go to the mall and get some stuff we can both share and it won't matter if it gets ruined."

Claire laughed and said "It'll be a cold day in hell before we get out. We really messed up on this one." Both girls began to laugh.

Fiona, who was in the hallway listening smiled and wiped the tears from her face. "How about I drive you girls to the mall. The grounding can wait until tomorrow."

The girls went out to the car. Fiona called to Michael "I'm taking the girls to the mall. It was their idea to buy clothes they wouldn't mind sharing."

"Fi, I grounded them. You can't veto my grounding." Michael was annoyed at Fiona.

"I'm not vetoing it, I'm merely 'rescheduling' it." She grabbed her keys and walked towards the front door. She looked back at Michael and said "Look. they came up with the idea to buy the clothes they could share. Do you know what I would give to have the chance to buy a new shirt for Claire?"

Michael walked up to Fiona and said "I'm sorry. I know. Have fun with the girls" and kissed Fiona goodbye and watched them pull out of the driveway.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N~Still waiting to own BN...nothing yet.

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><p>Attic Cleaning<p>

Michael and Fiona's daughters walked into the kitchen. Maddie announced their arrival. "Mom? Dad? Remember when you guys decided that cleaning the attic this weekend would help Claire and I 'build character'?"

"I remember. You guys have become a little lazy on the weekends and we thought attic cleaning might inspire you two to not sleep your weekends away" Michael said to his daughter Maddie, who he noticed was carrying a large box.

"Whats in the box girls? Any of your dad's Star Wars toys I could try and sell?" Fiona asked giving Michael a smirk.

Maddie pulled out Fiona's sniper rifle she had forgotten she had hid in the attic. "Well, I don't remember Han Solo or Princess Leia carrying these guns around. Claire, do you remember them having sniper rifles?"

"You know Maddie, I don't! I also don't remember them having these grenades or all these wires, digital clock faces and antennas with them. I wonder what these are for?"

Michael and Fi nervously looked at one another.

"Mom and Dad, do you want to tell us anything about what we found? Or do we have to resort to other sources to find why we have weapons in the attic and Lord knows what else this stuff is?" Claire asked

"Claire, I think if we offer to take Uncle Sam to lunch and we pay, then we might shed some light on what is in this box!" Maddie was smiling broadly, looking rather proud of herself.

Michael smiled at his girls. "You girls tell your Mom and I, why we have these things in the attic. You seemed to have worked this out quite nicely between yourselves."

Both Maddie and Claire looked at one another. Claire said "You guys are agents. We don't know for who, but you are storing your weapons upstairs in case a job comes along or the agency needs you for something."

Maddie added "Uncle Sam and Uncle Jesse are also agents but not like you guys."

Michael and Fiona both looked at one another laughing hysterically. Fiona calmed down first and spoke.

"As your mother, I think both you girls have been watching too many spy movies with Dad! The gun you found is Uncle Sean's and it is an expensive replica of an old IRA gun. When he passed away, he left the the gun in his will. You girls were little and we didn't think the displaying of weaponry was proper for you girls to grow up seeing. The grenades are souvenirs from your Dad when he was in the army. See how they have no pins in them and their bumpy outsides? Its already been exploded."

Michael took wires, antennas and clock faces out of the box. "Back in the day I tried to fix my cell phone to increase the range, but it never worked. I also fixed a few clock radios in my day. Sooooo...your agent theory, while creative, was pretty far off."

"Sorry girls, your Dad and I are pretty boring."

The girls looked at their parents with long faces. Seeing how dejected they looked Michael made a decision.

"Go shower and we'll all go out to Casa de Francesco. You worked hard and deserve a good dinner."

The girls forgot about the box and raced up the stairs to get cleaned up.

"Michael that was too close. Next time we want to motivate them make them mow the lawn or paint a room! Call Sam and tell him to stash this someplace the girls won't find it again!"

"Those girls are great at interrogation. They get that from you Fi. Maybe tonight you could interrogate me after they have gone to bed?" Michael asked, with a gleam in his eyes.

Fiona threw her arms around Michael's neck. "Mr. Westen, I think that is a very romantic idea!"

Michael gave his wife a long kiss and sent her upstairs to get dressed for their night out. He pulled out his phone and called Sam.

"Sam, need you to hide something for us. Let me tell you about it..."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N~ I own nothing of BN! This started out as one thing but as I wrote it became something TOTALLY different.

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><p>Michael and Fiona sat their girls on the couch. Neither of them were prepared for this talk, but they knew it had to be done. Michael looked at Fiona, his eyes signaling her to start first.<p>

"Girls, Daddy and I have talk to you about Moms and Dads. Sometimes, despite how much a Mommy and a Daddy love one another, they can't live together anymore. So one of the parents gets their own home while the other parent stays with their children. "

Sensing their confusion, Michael quickly added "It doesn't mean Mommy and Daddy love their kids any less. It simply means Mommy and Daddy can't live together because they fight too much and can't get along no matter what they do."

Maddie and Claire looked at one another and both burst out into tears, rushing into Michael's arms. "Daddy! Please don't leave us! Mommy will try harder to get along with you, we promise!"

Michael and Fiona were at a loss for words. Fiona replayed the whole conversation back in her head. "Oh no! Michael, they think we are getting divorced!"

Michael peeled the girls off of him and sat them back on the couch. "Do you guys think we are getting divorced?"

Both girls shook their heads up and down.

"Why would you think that?"

Maddie said shakily "Our friends who have divorced parents told us their parents said the same thing to them about Mommy and Daddy not getting along and that one of them was leaving. Please don't leave!"

Michael rubbed his forehead with his hand. "Girls, we were talking about Uncle Nate and Aunt Ruth. They are getting a divorce but we were trying to tell you that they don't love Charlie any less, so you wouldn't worry about him. I would never ever leave our family."

Michael sat on the couch between the two sniffling girls. "Did you know many years ago when Mom and I were younger, I did leave your Mom and we didn't see one another for years. I was miserable without her. I found your Mom again, then she left me for a little bit. I found her and we started our family" Michael looked at Fiona and said "When I wasn't with your mom it made my heart hurt bad and I was so sad that nothing made me happy until I was with her again. I never want to be that sad again."

Fiona, trying to fight back tears, looked down and played with the hem of her skirt. She knew he was referring to when she turned herself into the FBI to stop Anson. He would never tell her how deeply it hurt him but once in a while he would make a comment that would give her a glimpse of the pain he felt losing her. Finally she found her voice.

"I love your Father so much that I could never leave him. Yes, we fight, but we always have and always will work it out. ALWAYS."

"Your Mom is a wise woman. Why don't you guys go watch TV in our room and we'll be up with some yogurt."

Once Michael knew the girls were upstairs, he looked at Fiona and laughed. "We really screwed that up. Maybe next time we write down what we want to say first."

"I feel terrible Michael."

He pulled her into his arms and rested his chin on her head. "No harm Fi, we just need to choose our words better."

"We both know that's not what I'm talking about. I never meant to cause you so much pain when I turned myself into the FBI." Fiona began to weep. "I'm so sorry I hurt you."

He pulled back a little, keeping Fiona in his arms. He wiped the tears from her face and said. "I know. That was eons ago. The only thing that matters to me now is that we are a family and will always be together no matter what. Whatever it is, we'll work it out."

"I will always love you Michael."

Michael kissed Fiona, then whispered into her ear "Beidh mé grá agat go dtí deireadh an ama a"

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><p>AN~ Michael whispers "I will love you until the end of time.

Sappy...i know!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N~Again...I don't own anything! This really happened to me...but I just changed the names ;) Dad was upset I didn't go to Junior Prom and he took me out for a really fancy dinner. Almost 20 years later (I'm 38...I must have been 17 then)...I still remember it and get a little misty when I think about it.

I don't know what everyone else calls it, but Prom is just a fancy dance in your Junior & Senior year of high school where you put on a fancy party dress and dance and eat all night.

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><p>Michael walked past his daughter's bedroom, noticing that it was nearly seven pm. Every Friday night both girls were out, leaving Michael and Fiona to do whatever they pleased. Tonight though, he noticed his daughter Maddie laying on her bed reading a magazine.<p>

"Maddie, what are you doing home tonight? Don't you usually go over Kendra's house to watch movies and do girly stuff?" Michael asked his daughter.

"Tonight is the Junior Prom. Most of my friends are there with their boyfriends but I decided to stay home and just relax. Anyway, I have band practice in the morning."

Michael felt terrible. His daughter was home one of the most important nights in a teenage girl's life while her friends were all having fun dancing in fancy ball gowns.

"Put on one of your fancy dresses and your old man will take you out for a fancy dinner."

Maddie continued reading her magazine. "That's sweet Dad, but I'm not really that hungry. I had a late snack when I came home from school."

If she had looked up, she would have seen the sadness in Michael's eyes because his daughter was home on a night that was supposed to be magical.

About twenty minutes later, Fiona walked into the living room of her house to find Michael sitting on the couch looking rather sad. She figured it was just one of his moods so she sat down next to him and began to talk.

"I dropped Claire off at her softball retreat. Coach said they should be back no later than two pm on Sunday." Fiona curled up next to Michael and ran her fingers through his hair. "What has you looking so glum?"

"Did you know tonight is the Junior Prom and Maddie isn't going? I asked her out to dinner, maybe take her for a nice steak dinner, but she said she had a late afternoon snack. She said she was ok with being home because she has band practice tomorrow. I feel bad for her because all her friends have dates tonight and she doesn't."

Fiona noticed Michael's chin quiver. "Michael, she was asked to the prom by two boys. The girls know that since they both are in clubs and sports in school and have hobbies we support financially, I told both girls that if they want to go to Junior Prom and Senior Prom they could. If they went to both Proms, the dresses we buy will be very simple, they will do their own hair and nails and we'll get plain shoes. If they just wanted to go to the Senior Prom, then we would buy a fancy dress, fancy shoes and go out to get their hair and nails done. Claire decided to go both, so we went simple. Maddie wanted the fancy dress so she readily agreed to stay home. She's ok with it."

"Yeah, well her Dad's not ok with it. I feel bad, she should be with her friends tonight, not home with her parents." Michael said as he stormed off to the garage.

Fiona sighed and leaned back on the couch. As she sat there, Maddie came into the living room.

"Maddie, get upstairs right now and put on a fancy dress and do your hair quick. You have to go to dinner with your Father."

Fiona grabbed Maddie's wrist and began to drag her up the stairs. "Mom, I told Dad that I wasn't hungry. He was ok with it."

"You girls need to learn how to read your Father better. Your Father is heartbroken that you didn't go to the Junior Prom like your sister. He feels bad for you and wants to take you out for dinner so he can treat you to a nice night."

Maddie's broke free from her mother's grasp and asked "Didn't you tell him that it was my choice not to go tonight? Did you tell him about our deal?"

"I told him, but he's still really upset. Please, go to dinner with him. His heart is breaking because you didn't go."

Finally Maddie relented and got dressed and pulled her hair back into a high ponytail. She walked into the garage and found Michael rummaging through some boxes. He didn't look up when she entered the garage.

"Dad?"

"Yeah sweetie?"

"I am getting hungry so I thought maybe you could take me to dinner and maybe play some mini-golf afterwards?"

Michael looked up and saw his girl dressed in a simple black and white pinstripe sundress and a pair of sandals. He smiled at her and said "I would be honored to take you to dinner. Let me go change."

Michael ran into the house, but stopped in the kitchen to tell Fiona the news. "I'm taking Madeline out to dinner and mini-golf. You ok by yourself tonight?"

She nodded her head and watched Michael run to their room to change. Fiona walked out into the garage and gave her daughter a hug. "You did good. Your father is very happy."

Fiona watched them leave. She smiled to herself as she went inside, sat down at the computer and started to write an email.

_"Dear Mom,  
>You won't believe the night I've had!..."<em> 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N~I am playing with time a little bit here...not sure why, but I am! I hope this makes sense because its late at night & I just came home!

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><p>Tuesday nights have always been a special night for Fiona. Every Tuesday Maddie and Fiona would watch their favorite show NCIS. The show began when Maddie was twelve years old and was one of the few things she and Maddie could agree on at that time. During the commercials, they would chat about whatever was on Maddie's mind. It was Fiona's way of finding out what thought were in her young head and giving advice when needed.<p>

Six years later, in late August, Maddie was starting her Freshman year in a college that was in New Jersey. Fiona and Michael were sad to see her go but they were happy to see her venturing out on her own.

One chilly September night Fiona sat down to watch NCIS, alone. She watched but wept the entire time.

Finally Michael asked Fiona "Fi, what's wrong? Why are you crying?"

Fiona looked at Michael and sputtered "Maddie isn't here to watch with me! That was our special time and for the first time in six years she isn't here."

Michael took Fiona into his arms and tried his best to soothe her. "I know you miss her. I know I miss her. I'm sure she's missing watching it with you too."

After a few minutes Fiona broke away from Michael and wiped her eyes. "I'm ok. Really, I am. I'm sure she's out with her friends or doing homework. She should be out having fun and not watching TV."

Fiona stood silent for a moment and began to cry again. Michael eased Fiona over to the couch, holding her while she continued to cry.

After about five minutes, the phone rang. Michael answered it and handed it to Fiona.

"Mom, I'm sorry I didn't call sooner!" Maddie said.

Fiona tried her best to hide her tears. "It ok. I figured you were out with your friends. What did you kids do?"

"Nothing because I was in the student lounge watching NCIS. I don't get good reception in my dorm so I had to find another TV to watch. Did you get to watch?"

Fiona smiled and began rambling a mile a minute. After an hour on the phone with Maddie, Fiona hung up and came up stairs. She climbed into bed. Michael wrapped his arms around her and asked "Is everything ok now?"

In a sleepy voice Fiona answered "I thought she forgot me Michael, but she didn't. She remembered. Everything is perfect."


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N Darn! I still don't own BN! This fluff came to me while I listened to my little man coughing up a storm in his sleep.  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Michael rolled over and reached for Fiona. Realizing she wasn't there, he got out of bed and entered the hallway. Michael found her sitting on the floor outside their four year old daughter's room. He sat down next to her.<strong>

"Fi, you need to get some rest. Maddie is sleeping and you should be too."

Fiona sighed heavily and rested her head on Michael's shoulder. "Didn't you hear her cough?"

"I did and I checked on her to find she was fast asleep."

Fiona began to sniffle. "Nothing we do is making her better. She had the steroid medicine for croup. Croup turned into a sinus infection Halfway through the antibiotics she gets a new cough. We've tried nights out in cold air, steam baths and vaporizers. The poor girl has been sick for nearly a month!"

Michael put his arms around Fiona, who was trying her best to cry quietly. "Fi, its only been two and a half weeks. You know Maddie has never been quick to cure. Didn't she eat a ton of food today and play all day? She has no fever. You know when she's really sick she doesn't eat or play. You take her to the doctors tomorrow and we'll deal with it then. She'll be fine. Until then, you need to get some rest."

"I know you are right, but I can't sleep knowing she's in there coughing up a storm. She's not resting well. I'm her mother and I must sit out here in case she needs me."

Michael knew she was right, but he also knew Fiona needed to rest. Kissing the top of her head he said "Why don't you go to bed and I'll sit outside her door. You have four hours to sleep until I need to get ready to meet with Pearce."

Fiona sat up and looked Michael in the eye. "If she has a coughing fit, gently wake her up and make her take a sip of water." She got up and smoothed her tank top out. "You might also want to make her blow her nose. If she doesn't..."

"Fiona, I know what to do. This isn't the first time we've been through this. Get to bed."

"Come and get me if you need me. I don't mind if you wake me up."

Michael smiled at his worried wife and replied "I will. PLEASE go to bed. We'll be fine."

He watched Fiona walk down the hall into their room. Before he settled down in the hallway for the night, he checked on Maddie. Kissing her cheek he whispered "You have the best Mommy in the world."

As he got comfortable in the hallway, he heard Maddie's tiny voice say "And the best Daddy too"


End file.
